Introduction
Hello! My name is Darth Matu. The story that follows is by definition, fan fiction. However, it was written as my honest attempt to contribute a new, original story to the expansive narrative that is the Star Wars Expanded Universe, now Star Wars Legends. I have done my best to ensure that nothing within contradicts any standing lore, and adds to an area of the timeline that we do not often get to see up close. This, to me, is an honest Star Wars story written by a fan who loves this universe so much, he simply couldn't resist adding his own humble voice to the choir.
I will be releasing one chapter a month until the entire book is released. I truly hope you all enjoy, and that it brings you the satisfaction of a true Star Wars adventure. If it doesn't, well, at least I tried lol. May the Force be with you all!
Dramatis Personae
Tudraka, Jedi Padawan (Chiss male)
Master Ch'kaan, Jedi Master (H'drachi female)
Nemriva Shanta, Jedi Sentinel (Human female)
Darth Kinnias, Sith Lord (unknown)
Castor Hendra, Sarlacc Team Leader (Human male)
Lorb Tind, Sarlacc Munitions Specialist (Houk male)
Horliir, Sarlacc Recon Specialist (Shistavanen male)
Rienna, Sarlacc CQB Specialist (Echani female)
Royce Jensen, Imperial Admiral (Human male)
Godoba the Hutt, Hutt Crime Lord (Hutt male)
Chapter 1
The wind played through the tall grass, lapped at the leaves on the trees around the edge of the clearing, and tickled the fur on Master Ch'kaan's snout. The H'drachi Jedi Master sat cross-legged in the center of the meadow, eyes closed. She was deep within the Force, allowing the ebb and flow of the planet to wash over her. The wind blew again, and Master Ch'kaan made another mental note of just how quiet it was. Taanab was still early in its evolutionary cycle, home to only plant life; there were no other animals, let alone sentient colonists. It was so much easier for Ch'kaan to touch the Force without the background buzz that came from conscious minds.
Her people were seers, naturally strong in the Force, and this was why the diminutive mammal was on the planet; Taanab's unique environment, and its position close to the border with the Sith Empire, made it an excellent watch post for potential incursions against the Republic. Master Ch'kaan and four other Masters equally gifted in foresight had been spread throughout the sector, and given a simple directive: meditate on the will of the Force, and try to sense any threats from the Sith. The wind blew again, strong enough to tug at her turban. Ch'kaan pushed away the distraction and plunged back within the currents of the Force. She was almost overwhelmed by the strength of it, but then she submitted to its tug and was immersed again within the flows of life. She could feel every blade of grass on Taanab, every tickle of wind through the leaves. She could feel the galaxy around her, in her stomach, like the rise and fall of a ship on a calm sea. The H'drachi tried to anchor herself within the Force, just as she had learned as a child back home on M'haeli. She reached deep and planted roots that could hold her against the flow of energy, allowing her to study the currents as they passed at her leisure. She could feel the pulse of life in this sector, one giant mass that moved and breathed of its own accord. She could feel the artificial divisions across this mass, the strongest of which was closest to her; the border with the Sith, standing stark in her mind like a wall of darkness in the distance, an impenetrable fog, a miasma put up by the Dark Side. Ch'kaan centered herself within her roots and became like a person standing on a high rock amidst a swirling river. She was unmoving, and could look at whim across the mass of life as it flowed through the universe, a diminutive figure standing firm against the wall of darkness that made it so difficult for Ch'kaan to see ahead.
The H'drachi reached out around her in the Force until she felt the presence of the other Masters. They were like four points of light spread across the river with her, and she opened up, inviting them in. One by one, she felt their minds touch her own, their strength joining, each Jedi becoming a conduit for the others, subsuming their identities, and becoming as One, immersed deep within the Cosmic Force. They were all individually skilled seers, able to read the currents of the Force with ease, but when they linked together they became a WatchNet which could roll back the pall of the dark side to perceive the shifting future. The Cold War had been dragging on for years, but each side knew the peace was only an illusion, a pause in the fighting that had consumed the galaxy for decades. One day soon the truce would shatter, like a pane of standard glass against the vacuum of space. The Republic would be ready when that day arrived. There would be no surprise attacks again, not while the WatchNets still stood.
The wind blew, and Ch'Kaan felt the stirring of every blade of grass, the shifting of every branch. It was like fingers brushing across her fur. But there was something else, something she couldn't pin down, something like an echo, disrupting the natural web of life around it. It was cold, like a trickle of ice water running down her spine. The H'drachi frowned, and tried to focus on the disturbance, to follow its path back up her vertebrae to the source. Something was happening, and she needed to find out what. She felt herself grow sick, an erupting feeling of nausea deep in her stomach. The fur along her neck and arms raised up. Something was coming, and it was trying to block her ability to sense it. Ch'kaan sent a shiver through the Force to warn the other Masters, and felt their warm acknowledgement in response. Whatever was coming, it was coming directly at her. She couldn't tell exactly what it was, or where it was coming from, but she could tell it was getting closer. The Master pulled herself back from the web, and focused her attention on herself and her surroundings. Her presence ballooned outward around her like a wave, rippling through the tall grass against the wind. She could feel it all, every living thing in the clearing and tree line around her, standing in stark contrast to the nebulous darkness creeping over her mind like a cloud of toxic smoke. She began to have trouble keeping her center, the oppressive presence battering at her emotional defenses.
And then she had it.
She sprang from her seated position, rolling away just in time. A hissing, crimson blade cut the earth where she had just been meditating. Ch'kaan came up with her own saber flashing to life, the bronze blade almost matching the color of her fur.
There was a dark figure standing across from her. It was humanoid, its sleek, shining red armor trimmed in black, its red lightsaber held low in its right hand, dust floating back to rest around it; the blade glowed dark, so dark its core seemed to swirl with black, a blackhole trimmed in blood. The attackers hands were encased in thick gauntlets, and its face was obscured by a full helmet. The helm's mouth vents were shaped to make them look like the leering teeth of a skull, and the photoreceptors were a solid, burning red. The dark side was steaming off the figure like a noxious fume, assaulting Ch'kaan's senses. The stranger was like a hole in the Force, a void that she could feel echoing back into infinity. She was a Jedi Master, and she hadn't had such trouble keeping control of her emotions since before she became a Padawan. Ch'kaan took a breath, and she forced herself back into control with a grit of her teeth. She reached deep down inside herself for the center of calm she had spent years at the Temple building, and there she tried to anchor.
"Who are you?" the H'drachi asked.
The figure answered by lunging into the attack. It came at Ch'kaan with another downward strike, and the Jedi somersaulted sideways out of the way. Ch'kaan wasted no time, pulling on the Force to launch her small body into a series of flips, using her momentum to strike at her opponent. Bronze blade clashed against red, and the clearing rang out with the sound of sabers rebounding. Ch'kaan was fast, known even among her peers for her swordsmanship. But every angle she tried, she found her foe's blade waiting. This creature's style was one Ch'kaan had never encountered before; the black and red warrior used its blade in one hand, yet their parries and blocks were strong and efficient. The warrior launched into a counter-attack of its own; the blows were wide, sweeping, and powerful, yet quick as lightning Ch'kaan was beginning to flag, just one step ahead of her opponent.
Ch'kaan spun away from the assault, reaching deeper within the Force. She sprang into a renewed series of leaps, flipping over the enemy warrior again and again, doing everything she could to catch them in their blind spot. Every move she tried, the warrior matched. Its red saber blocked with the strength of bedrock, and parried quicker than an arrak snake. The Jedi Master began to pant. She was moving fast, acrobating in ways that would tax even the most trained gymnasts. Her muscles were burning, and her lungs started to heave. Ch'kaan tried to find her center, and called upon the Force with everything she had. She felt it smooth over her aching muscles like a cool balm; it filled her lungs like fresh mountain air. The H'drachi somersaulted backwards over her foe, sweeping her blade up as she landed. Bronze once more clashed against red, but this time Ch'kaan's blade rebounded; it was like slamming a durasteel rod against a wall of Mandalorian Iron. She felt the tremor run up her arms, and her blade was knocked wide. There was a hot lance of pain that cut through everything else. Ch'kaan cried out, and realized she was falling backwards. She saw her own right arm spinning away from her, severed from the elbow down, her fingers opening and closing as if to wave goodbye. She heard her lightsaber deactivate, and her back trembled as it hit the ground. Taanab's sun blinded her, but only for a moment; the dark shadow of the enemy warrior fell across her face.
"I expected more from you Jedi, I had heard your species was strong in the Force."
The dark side was pouring off the warrior. They had to be Sith; what else would stink off such noxious evil? Ch'kaan could barely focus, between the pain searing its way up her arm and the sickness assaulting her mind. The armored warrior shut off their saber, and knelt by the Jedi Master. They reached down, and grabbed Ch'kaan's small beard in one gauntlet, pulling the H'drachi up from the dirt so her face was just inches from the shining red eyes set in the mask before her.
"I intend to see if I can take your head off without removing your turban, Jedi." Ch'kaan felt a dark force begin to probe harder at the edges of her mind. The Sith's hand crept up and began to caress her muzzle. His thumb crept closer and closer to her eye. She felt that trickle of ice water down her back again. "But first, there are things I need to know. You will give me the answers I seek."
Ch'kaan tried to share her feelings of fear and despair with the other Masters in her web, to warn them of what was happening. She let go of her pain, and terror, letting it flood into the Force. The Sith felt her emotions, and began to laugh, his voice modulator turning the sound into an obscene echo.
Armored hands then cut her off from everything but the pain.
The open room rang out with the sound of practice sabers clashing. Tudraka lashed out with another series of attacks, two hands on his saber, all of which Jedi Battlemaster Jun Seros knocked away with ease. Sweat poured down Tudraka's blue skin, soaking into his tunic, and stinging at the edges of his red eyes. His dark hair was matted to his forehead, and his palms were slick.
"Good," the old Master said to his student, "you have the basics of Shii Cho. Now, Makashi!"
The old human shifted his saber into his right hand, his left moving behind his back. Tudraka responded in kind, moving into a one handed stance, and sending another series of strikes at his opponent, this time lunging, controlled jabs and sweeps, trying to catch Master Seros' blade and slide down it. The Jedi Master deflected them with ease, his blade not so much rebounding as sliding down Tudraka's in turn, trying to catch it, making it difficult for the younger Padawan to find space. Soon Master Seros had turned the tables, forcing his pupil onto the defensive. Tudraka tried to keep his attention on his feet, keeping them moving backwards along his center of gravity. His back foot slipped, his defense wobbled, and Master Jun frowned.
"Soresu! Show me your defense!"
The human came at Tudraka again; the Chiss recognized Djem So-a moment of pride flaring that he could recognize the style-but he barely managed to get his defensive stance set before the first blow landed. It was like catching a Basilisk war droid falling from orbit. Tudraka stopped moving backwards, and held his ground, planting his feet square. The blue alien's movements became short, quick, and efficient. His saber was back in two hands, and it became a blur as Master Jun's attack sequence picked up speed. Tudraka felt each blow up to his shoulders, and his muscles began to ache from the constant, tight movements; he tried to open himself to the Force, to let go of his aches and the pain in his breathing. But to do so required him to take attention off his motions so he could center his mind. He couldn't quite do it; it was maddening, like dying of thirst, and seeing water poured out before him. The sabers rang out louder, and then Tudraka heard something scraping across the floor to his rear.
"Ataru!" Master Seros yelled.
There was a sharp pain behind Tudraka's knees, and his legs were swept out from under him. Master Seros was using the Force to levitate four large storage boxes. They whipped around him like he was the center of a storm. Tudraka planted his hand behind him as he fell, and used the Force to spring into a backflip. The Chiss landed, then sprang forward, jumping high into a frontflip. He tried to focus on Master Seros, to keep eyes on his target, but at the same time stay centered in the Force, to feel the boxes around him. He landed, and ducked under one, then lept again, tucking into another forward spin. A box slammed into him from behind. Tudraka flew forward, training saber flying away, crashing into the floor at Master Seros's feet. The old Jedi deactivated his own weapon, then bent and helped the crumpled Padawan to his feet. The human sighed.
"Tudraka..."
"I know, I know!" The younger Jedi snapped. "I have to keep my center! I have to watch my feet! I have to feel the Force around me! I have to use my forward momentum to continue my attack! That about cover it all?"
"You have to control your emotions," Master Jun interjected. "But yes, and all of those."
Tudraka opened his mouth as if to say something, closed it. He takes a breath.
"Yes, Master. I apologize. I just thought I had you that time. I guess I should've known better."
"You DO know better. It's not a matter of you not absorbing your training, Tudraka. I've seen you in here running through your sequences. You do just fine against the training droids. If you could just learn to trust yourself and let go, let everything fall into place in the Force, you would become a devastating opponent."
"Yes, Master."
Jun placed a hand on Tudraka's shoulder. The Chiss looked down at the floor. "You are not here for no reason. None of us are."
"I know, Master," Tudraka said again. "But I guess, deep down, I always found that hard to believe. It's difficult to think I deserve to be here."
"That is why you fail," Jun replied, pointing at Tudraka's chest. "Your Trials defeat you only because you have first defeated yourself. You need to learn to let go of the past, to focus on the present, and to be as you are now."
"I will try, Master."
Master Jun eyed Tudraka up and down. The Jedi Battlemaster could feel the raw potential within the blue alien, had since the day he had first arrived in their care. But he could also feel the scars on his presence in the Force; they were like gaping voids he carried within him, echoing back into some terrible place. He had to be shown the proper way to disciplined control, or else risk falling to the dark side. Master Seros reached out a hand, and called his pupil's training saber back from across the room. He handed it to Tudraka.
"Ready to go again?" he asked.
Tudraka wiped the sweat from his blue forehead, took a few breaths, and then nodded. The two stepped apart, bowed to one another, slid into the opening stance of Shii Cho, and turned on their sabers. The door to the room slid open with a hiss, and interrupted before they could start. A temple protocol droid waddled into the room on whining servos.
"Excuse me, Masters, but Master Tudraka is asked to please report to the High Council chambers." The droid said in a perfect diplomatic pitch; Master Seros deactivated his saber, and dropped his guard.
"Well, I suppose that will have to do for today."
"What does the High Council want with me?" asked Tudraka, surprised.
"Best go and find out," Master Seros replied; the aging human tossed Tudraka his robe. "Refresher after. Something tells me you had better not keep them waiting."
"Yes, Master," Tudraka turned to leave, placing his training saber in its place by the door, the soft fabric of his brown Jedi robe sliding over the top of his shoulders.
"May the Force be with you." Master Seros said before the Chiss could leave.
Tudraka smiled, turned and left. The doors hissed closed behind him, and Master Seros frowned over the empty room. He had had a feeling he wouldn't see the young alien again. A shame; he was becoming quite the proficient swordsman, in his way. Master Seros shook his head; the Force would take the young Jedi where it would. Master Seros could only follow his own path.
The servos on the protocol droid droned next to Tudraka as he walked, piercing his thoughts, and making it hard to remain centered. The hallway was long, low, and lit with blue lights recessed into the floor. Soft orange-yellow carpet gave under his feet, and the rare person occasionally passed them by. Tudraka turned to the droid. It was muted, gray, dark outside the transparisteel windows that lined either side of the hall. Tudraka saw runnels of water streaming away down the clear metal; it was storming outside. Tython's storms were legendary, driven by the Force and contained-in part-only recently, after Grandmaster Shan had rediscovered the planet. The records were still spotty, but the way Tudraka understood it, an ancient conflict between Force users had devastated the planet. The storms were the legacy of this war, still raging across much of the surface.
"I can make my own way," he said.
The droid tutted, but then turned and shuffled off, leaving the Jedi to his thoughts. His mind was racing. Tudraka was attempting to remain calm, but it was hard not to be nervous when summoned by the High Council. The High Council! Grandmaster Satele Shan! Master Gnost-dural! These were epic figures that Tudraka had only seen once or twice in the halls of the Jedi Temple on Tython. It was difficult for him not to think he had somehow done something wrong, and was walking into a reprimand; why else would the most powerful Force users in the galaxy want to see him? Maybe they were finally going to kick him out of the Order. He had been much older than most when he joined the Order, and still struggled with his Trials; maybe they had finally decided he couldn't hack it.
Tudraka pushed these thoughts away, and tried to harness his misgivings, locking them deep down. He was in control of his emotions. There was no cause to be concerned. There could be any number of reasonable explanations for the summons. He needed to have patience to find out what it was. The Chiss reached the turbolift at the end of the hallway, and keyed in for the High Council chambers. The doors hissed open, and he stepped aboard. Then they closed again, and he was moving, though Tudraka could only tell by the barest shifting in his stomach. It dropped as the lift rose, and in a few seconds the doors slid open a final time to reveal the main hallway to the Council chambers. Tudraka crossed the walkway, but paused just outside the doors to the High Council chamber. The Masters within could feel his presence by now, but he took a second to take one final deep breath.
Tudraka's hand touched the door panel, and it slid open with a hiss.
The Council Chambers were almost empty; only five Masters sat within the chamber. Tudraka recognized them all, some of the Orders very best. Master Orgus Din and Master Jaric Kaedan were the only humans, and they sat apart, the other Masters between them. Master Nikil Nobil sat coiled upon his long Thisspiasian frame. Master Oric Traless' had his Nautolan tendrils pulled back behind his head. And in the middle of them all sat Master Gnost-dural. All five Masters had their attention focused on a sixth individual, a human female, who stood in the middle of the room. Tudraka hung back by the door until he was called. It was clear the Council was in the middle of a discussion with the mysterious woman; she looked to be in her mid thirties, and had bronze colored skin. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She wore a flat gray tunic, and black, utilitarian cargo pants bloused above shining leather boots. Her tunic was tucked into a utility belt around her waist, from which hung two lightsabers, one the smaller hilt of a lightsaber shoto. The woman stood with arms crossed, a small frown on her face.
"We understand your reluctance to put your search on hold, but something has occurred which could potentially threaten the entire Republic." Master Gnost-dural said, his modulated voice echoing within the chamber.
"My search isn't something that can be dropped, and then picked up again Master." The Jedi woman countered. "The trail has been cold for centuries, and it's taken me months to dig up what little I have."
"And yet dropped it must be," Master Nobil countered. "There are no others that can go in your stead."
"I find that difficult to believe, Masters?"
Tudraka was stunned; how could this human defy the Council? He had never seen another Jedi so brazen. It seemed the Council Masters were shocked as well, as there was a lull in the conversation. Master Kaedan, scarred Watchmen of the Jedi, took the chance to look in Tudraka's direction.
"Step forward, young Jedi. This concerns you as well."
The grizzled warrior wore a frown, and Tudraka knew that frown was for him. Master Kaedan had been one of the voices against Tudraka joining the Order; the human had argued that Tudraka was too old, even voiced the possibility that he was a spy. Tudraka knew nothing of his own people, but apparently they were well known as such to the Republic military. The young Padawn swallowed, trying to push down the womp rats doing vaults inside his stomach. He stepped forward next to the woman; she went on looking straight ahead.
"You summoned me, Masters?"
"Indeed we did. We were sorry to have to interrupt your training." Master Traless said.
"The Force knows you still need it," Master Kaedan cut in.
Tudraka ignored the jab, and bowed his head once up and down.
"I am at the Council's service." he said.
"Before we proceed, you must understand, nothing that is said ever leaves this room." Master Din's brown eyes locked with Tudraka's glowing red ones "What you are about to hear concerns the safety of the Republic at large. Keeping knowledge of it to a minimum is essential to galactic security. Speaking of it will be considered treason by the Senate, and the Jedi High Council."
"I understand, Masters."
"Good." Master Nobil said, "The Jedi failed the galaxy during the last war. Some may not believe that, but it's true. The Sith hold half the galaxy under their tyranny. The peace that has fallen since is a farce, we have always been aware of."
"It is our responsibility as Jedi to ensure we do not fail again. We owe it to the Republic, to life everywhere, to ensure that when the next attack comes we are ready." Master Kaedan cut in. "And to that end, the Council has devised several plans to prepare. One involves a network of Jedi Masters, our most gifted in foresight, set up in what is known as a WatchNet. We spread them along the border with the Sith Empire, and gave them a single task: be vigilant. Dip into the currents of time, link together in the Force, and try to divine any potential threats."
"Your former master, Master Ch'kaan, was one of those Jedi." Master Gnost-dural said.
Master Gnost-dural's eyes were impossible to see behind his goggles, and his voice was deep and guttural, distorted by the breathing apparatus all Kel Dor had to wear when away from their homeworld. Tudraka felt his stomach surge; he tried to tap it down. A Jedi was in control of their emotions, not the other way around.
"You say she 'was' one of those Jedi. Has something happened, Master? Is she alright?"
"That's what we need you to find out." Master Din said. "The other masters within her WatchNet felt a great disturbance in the Force, a surge of fear, a warning."
"Since then we have had no contact," Master Traless spoke up, his black eyes pools of ebony water. "Master Ch'kaan is an extremely accomplished Master, and there has been no unusual movement from the Sith fleet. She was stationed on an isolated world. It could be something as simple as damaged communication equipment, but she has not tapped back into the Force to let the other Masters know she is okay."
"It is clear something has happened." Master Kaedan said. "The other Masters cannot abandon their posts to seek her out. If this is an attack on our early warning system, then it could be a prelude to a greater invasion. It is more crucial now than ever that they maintain their Net within the Force. We need someone else to go."
"And you want me?" Tudraka asked, surprised. The woman next to him tightened her crossed arms. "Masters, surely something as important should be trusted to someone with more experience."
"You are a Jedi, Tudraka," Master Gnost-dural chimed in, his modulator cutting through the Council's banter like a knife. "You are still a learner, but you are a Jedi nonetheless. The Force shall guide you."
"Not only that, you were her Padawan, the only one she has ever chosen. You may know her better than anyone." Master Nobil said from atop his coiled body, "Your relationship with her means you are one of the few people who will be able to sense her location, especially if she has gone into hiding."
"I...yes, Masters."
Tudraka swallowed and bowed his head before the Council. His face was placid, but inside he was a turbulent ocean struggling to burst free. He had never been assigned a mission of his own before, and he was nervous. Nervous about Master Ch'kaan's well-being, nervous because he wanted to show the Council he could handle it, nervous because he knew the whole room could tell he was nervous. The young Jedi fought to find, and maintain his center.
"I sense much conflict in you, Padawan," Master Kaedan said, his ever present frown deepening.
"You will not be alone," Master Din cut in, before Kaedan could begin giving Tudraka a lecture. "You are indeed a Jedi, as Master Gnost-dural reminds us, but we are not blind to your inexperience. This Council has chosen to pair you with someone else. Tudraka, meet Jedi Sentinel Nemriva Shanta." Master Din gestured to the woman beside Tudraka.
The Chiss turned, and the two finally made eye contact. The woman was strong, her presence next to him like an anchor in the Force. Tudraka gave her a greeting, and she grunted one in return, nodding once with arms still folded. Her face had an angular beauty that was hard to ignore, but a severity that was almost off putting.
"Nemriva is very experienced in the field." Master Gnost-dural said, "You will prepare yourself, and meet with her at the Temple hanger in the morning. She will act as your Master for the duration of this mission. You will go with her, learn from her, and obey her orders."
"Yes, Masters."
"Both of you are dismissed. Do not miss your flight." Master Kaedan's voice dripped venom, his eyes boring into Tudraka's soul.
"May the Force be with you both," Master Gnost-dural said.
" Yes, Masters," Tudraka said, bowing with a silent Nemriva. The pair turned, and left without another word.
The door to the Council chambers hissed closed behind them; Nemriva paused. Her shoulders slumped, and she sighed.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Be there before the first launch cycle." Then she turned and left.
Tudraka let her go in silence; he felt overwhelming frustration coming off of her, and he didn't want to get in its way. The young Jedi's head was spinning. His first mission; outside, he maintained his Jedi composure, but inside he wasn't sure if he was ready. The thought of not doing well, of letting down the Council, frightened him. Worse still was the thought of what might have happened to Ch'kaan; she had always been like a mother to him.
'There is no emotion, there is peace,' Tudraka thought to himself, taking a deep breath.
He turned, and followed Nemriva down the hallway, heading for his quarters. He needed the refresher, and some rest. The morning promised to be a busy one.
He is crying. His eyes hurt, he is crying so hard, but he cannot stop himself. People are dragging them away. The angry men came in the night, from nowhere, with uniforms and guns. The angry men grabbed them both, and tore apart their room. He can hear screaming, someone cursing in the voice of a child. The cursing person is angry, but he is just scared and he can't stop crying. Large arms hold him tight, so tight they make it hard to breathe. He sees his parents; they are standing there, his father clad in his security uniform, and his mother beside him. He can see them very clearly, every line in his father's blue, chiseled face. The downcast glances of his mother as her eyes dart from him, to his father, then to the floor, and back again. She bites her lip, and then she turns away and is gone. They had been acting strange ever since he moved the cup without touching it. He didn't understand. He didn't know why, or how it happened. He had been thirsty. He had felt something deep inside his chest, something outside of himself, then he had reached out his hand and the cup had come to him. He had drank, and his mother had screamed, his father had cursed.
He starts to cry harder. He doesn't understand what is happening; had he done something wrong? Why was moving the cup bad? Why were his parents letting these people take them away? Then he is in the back of a dark repulsor van, and something is put over his head, plunging him into darkness. He can feel his wrists and ankles being bound, and he screams when they are cinched tight enough to cut off blood flow. The van is moving. He decides to try to kick his numbing legs, but before he can move he feels something stab him. The world begins to lose substance. He feels his muscles relax, and his eyes close. His mind begins drifting away to the soft rocking of the repulsors. He hears someone call his name, someone close by, and then the darkness takes him.